Leslie Samuel joins us today to share his journey and experience with blogging. You can connect with him on his website (Become a Blogger) or on Twitter.
Leslie started back when he was teaching high school. He started with freebie-trading, making some money, and then showing others how to do what he was doing. In August, 2008, he learned about blogging. He joined a course about blogging.
Whatever you are passionate about or building a business about, you can build a blog, create content, inspire other, and change the world.
[Tweet “You can build a blog, create content, inspire other, and change the world. – @lesliesamuel”]
Why did you decide to leave your job as a professor to pursue blogging full-time?
Because of his blog, Leslie was able to land his “dream job” as a professor. As a result, he got too busy between teaching, pursuing a PhD, and building his online business. He evaluated his situation, and realized that he could not leave his online business and the influence that he’s built up.
How did you deal with people that were negative or doubters?
Leslie didn’t really care about those opinions. One thing that was clear to him was that he going where God wanted him to go. He weighed the options carefully. The people that were close to him and knew him were very supportive of the decision.
If his wife or family was doubtful, this would not have happened.
What are some tips for someone trying to increase their traffic and engagement?
- Have a very clear understand of who you are targeting.
- Be clear on what problem you are trying to solve. Get as detailed as you can.
- Start creating that content! Write down a list of 50 questions, then start writing answers to those questions.
- Let people know about it.
- Social media is not for just self-promotion. Work at connecting with people in a real way. Then you can share your content.
- Connecting with other bloggers and grow together with them.
What kind of topics would someone cover when they start blogging?
- Think of your target market. What questions would they have? They want to be educated about the process.
- Look for other things that your target market is looking for.
What are some top ways people can try to monetize their blog?
- Affiliate marketing
- Create your own products
- Ads
What kind of expectations should someone have regarding time and money as they get started blogging?
If you are trying to seriously build something, look at 10 hours a week.
When Leslie started blogging the second time, he hired out some work so he could focus on other aspects.
Financially, it depends on what you are trying to do. There are a lot of things that you can do on your own to save some money.
Become a Blogger
- Articles
- Podcast
- Become a Blogger University
You gotta take action! You’ll learn from your mistakes. Keep taking consistent action and you’ll be surprised where that will take you.
[Tweet “Keep taking consistent action and you’ll be surprised where that will take you. – @lesliesamuel”]